Christian Bale named as new Batman

Story by: Jack Foley

AFTER months of speculation, in which everyone from Jake Gyllenhaal
to Joshua Jackson was linked with it, the role of Batman has finally
gone to British actor, Christian Bale.

The American Psycho star, aged 29, will join fellow Brit, director
Christopher Nolan, on the set of the high-profile movie, which
is intended to get the franchise back on track following the misfires
of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.

And while Warner Bros are remaining tight-lipped about what to
expect, early word suggests that the plot will focus on the early
crime-fighting career of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, with one internet
source suggesting it could be called Batman: Intimidation.

"He has exactly the balance of darkness and light that we
were looking for," he added, suggesting that the darker tone
of the first films in the franchise, as directed by Tim Burton,
will be revisited.

The role serves to confirm Bale's reputation as one of Britain's
most exciting talents, and realises the potential he first showed
when he made his name as a young boy in Steven Spielberg's Empire
of the Sun.

Since then, he has appeared in several big budget US movies,
including the Summer blockbuster, Reign
of Fire.

But until agreeing to play the Caped Crusader, it was as American
Psycho that he had been best remembered.

Shooting on Batman 5 is scheduled to begin in February 2004,
at Shepperton Studios, with a view to a release in the Summer
of 2005.

David S. Goyer has already been announced as scriptwriter, while
the presence of Memento/Insomnia
director, Nolan, should promise a very stylish slant on the franchise.

Nolan told Variety, not long after he was announced as director,
that he had always considered Batman to be 'the most credible
and realistic of the superheroes', with 'the most complex human
psychology'.